University of Southern California-Los Angeles General Medical Center USC-LA General Program

Emergency Medicine Analyst Verified · Sep 15, 2026

University of Southern California-Los Angeles General Medical Center USC-LA General Program

University of Southern California-Los Angeles General Medical Center USC-LA General Program is a residency program specializing in Emergency Medicine, located in Los Angeles, California, directed by Craig R. Torres-Ness, MD and coordinated by Becky O'Neal. The program accepts applications through January 1, 2027. International Medical Graduates interested in this program may contact the program coordinator directly at boneal@med.usc.edu or (323) 409-7053. IMGPrep analysts have verified and compiled this program’s IMG acceptance rate, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 score requirements, Visa Sponsorship Policy, graduation year cutoff, and ECFMG certificate requirements — available to IMGPrep subscribers.

Program Identity & Fit

USC/LA General is the oldest continuously running emergency medicine residency in the country, a four-year, county-based safety-net program built around one of the busiest, highest-acuity Level I trauma centers in California. Training emphasizes graduated autonomy and heavy procedural ownership (residents, not trauma surgery, perform nearly all resuscitative procedures), culminating in a PGY4 "2 Star" leadership role overseeing multi-pod flow across a department seeing 500+ patients daily. The four-year structure and elective/track time (research, ultrasound, EMS, medical education, health administration) support a broad range of post-residency paths, and the department runs its own fellowships in EMS, research, ultrasound, and medical education, indicating strong institutional investment in academic and subspecialty career development. The program explicitly prioritizes recruiting residents drawn to underserved, culturally diverse county populations and evaluates the whole applicant rather than any single metric.

Who it fits

A resident-track applicant drawn to high-volume county/safety-net trauma medicine who wants graduated procedural autonomy and leadership responsibility, with openness to pursuing EMS, ultrasound, research, or medical-education fellowship training afterward.

Research intensity

Moderate - research is available and supported through elective time and a dedicated research fellowship, but not positioned as central to the core residency identity.

Career orientation

Mixed - Community Practice, Fellowship, Academic Medicine

Important

The program states that applicants who have trained or worked in a "county-style" clinical environment are not given any advantage, and that rotating at the program is not required for interview consideration, with a majority of interview and match slots historically going to non-rotators.

Choose Specialty / Choose Another Program

Emergency Medicine

Deadline 01/01/2027

88 days left

Accreditation Status N/A

SCORE

USMLE STEP 1

USMLE STEP 2

SCORE NOTES

VISA POLICY

VISA

GRADUATION CUT OFF

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

ECFMG CERTIFICATE

PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT

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CURRENT RESIDENTS